NFL fines Antonio Brown $10K for running backward into end zone

Posted by Michael David Smith on November 4, 2012, 8:07 AM EST

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When Antonio Brown broke free on a punt return and ran backward into the end zone, the referee didn’t like it. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin also didn’t like it. And the league office didn’t like it, either.

Brown, who got a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and got a dressing down from Tomlin, now has been fined $10,000 by the NFL, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

The penalty was the third time in the last two seasons that Brown has been flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

To add insult to injury, Brown’s touchdown was negated by an illegal block in the back penalty. So he got a $10,000 fine for celebrating a touchdown that he hadn’t actually scored.

Roger is awful, its a professional sports entertainment league…let the players entertain, fans are paying tons of money to support the league. Everything these guys do is a fine. Just waiting for the day when Roger begins fining fans by allowing teams to charge their credit cards(at least the person responsible for buying tickets) for behavior detrimental to the league, always read the fine print in the future.

The league–or perhaps The Great Roger Goodell Himself Live And In Person–is getting fine-happy. What Brown did was stupid showboating, but the on-field penalty and a dressing-down fom his coach was enough. Fining for something that didn’t physically hurt anyone, and which didn’t break any of those mega-important rules like what color shoes one wears, is indication that the league or The Great One just likes fining people.

Not surprising given how the league has been handling similar things – but still utter BS. The taunting / celebration rules are just obnoxiously restrictive in order to cater to parents too lazy to educate their own children about sportsmanship. News flash: NFL players don’t like each other and the game is better for it.

Good. He is extremely annoying, just another punk. I’m sick of him pointing every time he gets a first down. 3rd and 16 at a crucial point in the game, fine, I get that but catching a 2 yard pass for a first down and gesturing with his arm first down is so annoying.

Totally diasagree with the 10G hit. This is just Roger’s Raiders running rampant again. I’m all for good sportsmanship but this wasn’t taunting. Brown didn’t show up an opponent, like holding the ball under his nose, etc. He was merely happy and excited. Personally, I was impressed with his speed running backwards, just like I am when I see a player doing a backwards somersault in full pads. It’s part of what makes pro football so much fun to watch. Or it used to be anyway…

Sorry, but this is absurd. A couple years ago DeSean Jackson fell into the end zone in Dallas, but was penalized when he shouldn’t have been. You are allowed to do whatever you want before you cross the goalline. Even if Brown was taunting, that should not be a finable offense, just a penalty. The No Fun League strikes again. They’ve overdone it on these TD celebration penalties.

I wish they would make those penalties spot fouls. Make it 15 yards from the spot where the player starts acting like a fool and take the points off the board. Dumb stunts like that would end immediately.

Coach Tomlin, supposedly a no nonsense guy, has been Brown’s coach during his time as a Steeler. Whatever corrective action he may have taken toward Brown has been ineffective, he continues violate league rules regarding on field conduct. The fining schedule is there to discourage repeat behavior. If members of the Knuckle Head Brigade don’t know the rules or don’t care it’s on them.

“DB’s backpeddle on every play. Are they still allowed to do that?”
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not if they’re doing it on their way into the end zone after a pick.
$10,000? That was probably the tip he left last time he went out on the town.

What’s wrong with mocking a defense that let a guy blow through you so badly that he could spend the last 30yds tiptoeing backwards and still couldn’t be caught?

Absurd. Those complaining are probably parents in one of those leagues for children that don’t keep score. I think a professional athlete should be able to keep his emotions in check when his opponent scores on him. Don’t want to see a celebration? Don’t get scored on. I hated Deion Sanders, but I enjoyed his final ten-yards into the end zone. I loved Walter Payton and his high-stepping. Those plays live on in my memory as great players having fun. Can you imagine Goodell running tennis? Fining Nadal and Federer for fist-pumps during the action or suspending them for four matches for falling to the ground and screaming with joy after winning a major tourney? Let’s just start shooting the games in black and white, remove the smiles, and march in unison. Das Fuhrer is here!

I would defend Goodell on most of the things that he gets crucified on here for but this doesn’t make any sense to me. Fines for behavior relating to safety and fairness make sense because the on-field repercussions of those actions aren’t always enough. In those cases there’s usually some benefit to the offender such as injuring, weakening, or intimidating the opponent. A 15yd penalty may not be enough to deter that so you have to fine them.

But there’s no benefit to showboating and the resulting 15yd penalty definitely hurts the team. No need to fine that as long as the ref flags it.

This is no laughing matter. Mothers Against Dyslexia (also known as “DAM”) will be hearing about this.
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Reminds me of my paranoid dyslexic friend who goes around thinking he’s following people.

Excerpt from “Mein Kampf II: Make It Up As We Go” or The NFL Rule Book

Rule 98299733984z:

The following is allowed while going into the end zone:

-Highstepping
-Superman diving
-Flipping
-Verbally taunting trailing defenders
-Turning around and falling backwards with or without a snow angel
-Pointing at trailing defenders
-Anything the hell else you can think of
-Any combination of the above

geefan1 says:
Nov 4, 2012 9:10 AM
I wish they would make those penalties spot fouls. Make it 15 yards from the spot where the player starts acting like a fool and take the points off the board. Dumb stunts like that would end immediately.
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I wish they would make those penalties spot fouls. Make it 15 yards from the spot where the player starts acting like a fool and take the points off the board. Dumb stunts like that would end immediately.
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Clearly anyone who has written something negative about brown has never played sports at a professional level.. It’s extremely difficult to make splash plays in the NFL so when you do you should be allowed to celebrate.. its natural.. its human.. NFL is a joke for fining him.

NFL. No Fun League! Not a Steelers fan but are you serious? Let these guys have some fun! Main reason people play football is because they love the sport and it’s fun, I don’t see how you can play when the league is taking all the fun out of it.

Goodell needs to be stopped. I’m not a fan of showboating but its part of the game. So now there will be fines for TD celebrations. goodell is destroying football if it wasn’t for fantasy football I don’t think I would watch it religiously like I did my whole life. No defense,can’t hit anybody, every incomplete pass the receivers arm goes up for a flag almost before the ball goes past him

mataaaa says:
Nov 4, 2012 11:17 AM
Clearly anyone who has written something negative about brown has never played sports at a professional level.. It’s extremely difficult to make splash plays in the NFL so when you do you should be allowed to celebrate.. its natural.. its human.. NFL is a joke for fining him.
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Clearly you fail to understand what a professional is and why there was a fine. It was not a “celebration”, it was unsportsmanlike. A visual taunt/trash talk. It was unnecessary and served only to demean his opponent. What is “professional” about that?